Choosing wedding officiants
Wedding officiants Tom and Susie Joyce love performing weddings
Hiring officiants is one of the important tasks for any engaged couple planning a wedding. That can be easy if you are members of a church or other religious institution. But what if you are not? You don’t have to go to a courthouse to get married by a judge.
Well luckily, you have some options. There are people who have been ordained and are able to perform wedding ceremonies. Some even have a business doing just that.
Moments in Time Images has chosen Beyond Illusion Wedding Officiants as our favorite wedding officiant.
Beyond Illusions was started in 2007 by Tom Joyce. His wife, Susie, joined him the next year. Today they are a husband and wife team who love performing weddings for couples needing an officiant. In Susie’s words, she loves the “sheer joy of seeing the transformation that takes place” on the wedding day.
Tom Joyce used to host radio programs in Lincoln and, according to his wife, “has a wonderful voice.” They were at a wedding in Chicago when Susie told her husband that he would be great at being a wedding officiant. After a little more coaxing, he became one.
Susie got into the business because of their high demand. There have been times that they have been extremely busy. Susie remembers one day in the summer of 2008 that she officiated at one wedding at 6 p.m. and another at 8:30.
The couple is available for anyone wanting to get married, but work particularly with those who don’t belong to a religious institution or know someone who could marry them. The process starts with them meeting the couple and getting to know them. Their goal is to know what kind of ceremony the couple wants. They will accommodate any religion and are not there with any agendas.
They have done their research and know a variety of ceremony types. Ask them about the “sand ceremony,” the “rose exchange” and “love letters.” They offer romantic ceremonies and ceremonies for blended families. They know Bible verses that are suitable for weddings.
They also are sticklers for the details. Filling out a marriage license at the wedding can be tricky and they know how to do it right. Susie says she has heard many stories of people who aren’t professionals filling it out wrong.
The couple has performed weddings for more than 400 couples in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. They even performed one in Texas. They customize each ceremony to make it unique to the couple.
Beyond Illusions prices are very reasonable. They typically charge no more than $200 for a Lincoln ceremony with a wedding rehearsal. They spread their business through their Facebook page, their webpage, www.beyondillusionweddings.com, and word of mouth.
